[X] Sneak around.

>>24441371
>[ ] Sneak around the back and try to enter through the hayloft. You might get an edge here, but it might also be where this bird has decided to nest.

solid sneak

You decide that you need to get yourself any advantage you can and swing around to the back of the barn. Just as you suspected, there's an old, homemade ladder leading up to the second level. A few stray bits of hay peek out from the opening.
"Just like back home. Nobody remembers to close up the loft."
You climb up the ladder slowly, making sure not to cause any additional noise as you ascend. Though you feel confident in your plan, you wish you had been able to join a decade ago. Back then, there would have been ten other Silencers here as backup.
You round the last few steps and crawl into the hayloft, the damp hay not making more than a dull squish as you put your weight on it.
A terrible, but all too familiar smell hits you as you enter the barn. It's the smell of rot. You stifle a gag as you peek over the edge.

>>24441606
You see piles of bodies and livestock. The animals have been torn apart. Bits are strewn about all over the muddy ground, and you can see the markings of tooth and claw all over them. The humans are all young men. They'd be handsome if they weren't so dead. Each of them looks fairly intact, so you surmise that whatever killed them did so through internal damage. That's not what catches your attention, though.

Several hens strut over the corpses, occasionally picking at the dead flesh and swallowing meaty giblets. That strikes you as very odd. Either these chickens have been starving or...
One of the hens suddenly cocks its head up at you, it's eye gleaming a neon red. You lock eyes for a moment before the chicken lets loose a horrible cry.
"Shit."
You hear a flapping of wings, and wind beats at your back. You draw your weapon and spin around, coming face to face with your target.
The woman obviously hasn't bathed in weeks, as her entire body is covered in dirt and gore. Oversized wings hold her in midair as she gazes hungrily at you. Her legs end in black tipped talons, which click eagerly. After a moment passes in silence, she screams.

Time to act!
>[ ] Fire!
>[ ] Get Away!
>[ ] Tackle Her!

>>24441735
Get away, while shooting at her?
If that's no go, just run like hell.

>>24441735
>[ ] Get Away!
While tackling may be a good surprise move...I don't think we want to fight her close range. We should get some distance between us before we can fight back.

>>24441735
Tackle her! She'll never see it coming!

>>24441735
Get away?

>>24441735
You jump backwards off the loft. Even if she can fly, there's no way she has enough room to maneuver in here. You land with a sticky thud on the bodies. You feel like you're never going to be quite clean after this.

The hen continues to cry as other chickens join it, all crowding into the barn. Individually, they're not a threat, but backed by the force of their numbers, they jump on your body and begin to peck at your eyes and scratch at your neck.

You roll over and knock the hens aside, but that still leaves the matter of the witch outside. Your forearms, neck and ears are bleeding from superficial cuts, but you know you can't take much of that treatment.

>[ ] Wait here. You have the advantage!
>[ ] Head outside. These hens are more trouble than they're worth.
>[ ] Attack the hens.

>>24441983
Wait here, we can handle a couple of chicken familiars. Jeez.

>>24441983
Can we make a bomb or something? Is there gasoline in the barn?
We could trap the witch in, and then blow this shit up.

>>24441983
>[ ] Wait here. You have the advantage!
The dangerous one is the witch, so we need to keep our eyes for her.

>>24442110
You cast a glance around the barn. All you see are a rake and a couple buckets filled with spoiled milk.

>>24441983
You decide to stand your ground here and wait the witch out. While her swarm of lesser birds jump and scratch at you, you do your best to knock them to the side and stomp on them. With your attention turned to the skies outside, you do a very poor job of fending them off, and they've slashed several large gashes in your legs. It seems to be worth it, though, as the Witch finally swoops down from the sky and begins to speed toward you. It's a divebomb. She's planning to sweep through the open doors of the barn.

>Open fire!
>Try to catch her!
>Roll away and try to shoot her in the back!

>>24442285
Roll away.

>>24442285
Roll roll roll!!

>>24442285
Rock and roll.

>>24442285
shoot her in the back!

>>24442285
A body like that could never fly, but I suppose that anything is possible with witchcraft. You wait for the perfect moment to test just how maneuverable this witch actually is. The Witch speeds towards you, the wind screaming around her.
Closer, you think, just a few feet closer. You can see her eyes glowing a deep red as she licks her lips. It's time. You dive toward the witch, rolling underneath her speeding form. Her claws rake your side, but you recover.

You line up your pistol with her back. No time to be fancy here. You squeeze the trigger. The bright blue light of the Etherlite round going off escapes the pistol and streaks toward the Witch...

>>24442517
The magical round strikes home and the witch screams. Magical energy courses around her body as she convulses and slams into the dirt, her mutations melting away as gobs of excess flesh, leaving human arms and feet behind. She's obviously lost consciousness. The vicious hens suddenly scatter, her control over them broken. You get up and take a breath. Time to take this Witch into custody...

You grab the witch cuffing her arms and legs and throwing her into the back of your truck. It's a long drive back to HQ, so you make sure to keep her sedated.

>>24442517
>>24442590
It took about four hours on the road and another three in the air, but you're finally back at Silencer HQ. You feel awful, you smell awful, but you got the job done. You begin to compile your as you make your way to your superior officer. These things come first at Silencer, everything else comes second.

Beast Witch: Avian.
Psychosis: Possible Fugue state, no communication skills exhibited. Homicidal.
Recommendation: Silencing. This Witch's power is clearly a danger to the community at large, and given the advanced development of her powers it is unlikely she will ever overcome her homicidal tendencies.

You finish writing your report and head into your superior's office. What tone should you take with your boss?

>Jovial
>Professional
>Aggressive.

>>24442741
>compile your report as
Oops

>>24442741
Professional.

Waiting for some more votes

>>24442741
Professional

>>24442741
BE
AGGRESSIVE

>>24442741
Aggressive

>>24442741
Professional

>>24442741
You decide that you should pay the expected amount of respect to your boss. You knock on the door and announce yourself before coming in. Chief Branson has been in charge of this Silencer branch for thirty years now, and it shows. Even if it wasn't covered in scars, his face would look like it's been left out in the Texas sun for a week, and his thick frame hunches over a desk two times too small for him. His sleeves are rolled up and his jacket rests on the back of his chair.

He looks up at you and grimaces. "Good lord, Colt, what the hell did you get into?"

"There were many bodies at the scene, sir. Unfortunately, I had to use them to brake my fall at one point."

"I been there, kid. Just...you know, avoid that in the future."

"Right. The witch has been captured. She's another Beast Witch. This one seems to be a chicken. Recommend a full silencing and psychiatric treatment."

"Right, right. Gotta get this over to the boys then," He takes a look at the file. "You say you took this on yourself, boy?"

"Yes, sir."

"Hm...I guess it's about time for you, then. Get yourself cleaned up and come back here ASAP."

>>24443351
A quick trip to the shower and locker room has you feeling somewhat refreshed. You swear you can still smell the rotting corpses, but after scrubbing yourself that thoroughly, you're surprised your skin didn't come off.

You make your way back to the chief's office. As usual, Silence HQ is anything but its namesake. Agents constantly rush past each other, and a steady stream of captured witches rolls through the prisoner dock. Agents shoot the breeze with each other at their desks, typically about their latest conquest. You've only been here a little while, but all of this has already become routine.

You return to the Chief, who is currently playing a game of cards with some other senior agents. As you enter, they leave the room. Branson calls you over.

"Now son, you been here a while and I haven't seen someone work like you since I was a rookie myself."

"Thank you, sir."

"So that's why, even though we don't have any to spare, I think it's about time I got you a Choker."

"A Choker, sir..?"

A Choker, or a Choked Witch. Typically, a Witch brought in to Silence is either executed or has their power permanently removed ("Silenced"). A Choked Witch, on the other hand, has their power only partially sealed in exchange for helping Silence capture more witches. You know that they're usually placed under the leadership of a Silencer, but beyond those basic facts, you're unclear on the whole process.

>>24443513
>Magical Psycho-Pass Quest!

>>24443513
"Yes, a Choker. Now, like I said, we're not exactly swimming in Chokers, so I can only do so much. With that said..."

Chief Branson holds up four playing cards in his hands. You try to peek to the other side to see their face, but Branson pulls his hand back.

"No peeking. You're gonna do this the old fashioned way. Pick a card here. That's how we're going to pick out your witch."

You reach forward, assuming one is as good as another, but he stops you.

"Think carefully, son. This is a big decision."

If it's a big decision, why can't you see the cards? Oh well, there are only four cards here, so you decide to pick.

>The First Card
>The Second Card
>The Third Card
>The Fourth Card

>>24443608
The Fourth.
Four is the number of Death.

>>24443621
Didn't know we were in Japan.

Anyway, the Second. First is the worst, second is the best.

But the third comes with a treasure chest...

Second.

>>24443513
So we are pretty secure in our own competence, ability to do the job.

I guess the idea of dragging around a witch as a weapon should be half scary, because.. because conscious witch. But also create some concern on the job side.

Is this a boost because we are not good enough or do we know for sure that it is a higher level of trust being placed in our skill? Lots to worry about in these moments.

>>24443608
card 3.
because counted left to right, two cards in each hand as presented to us, card three is in the Sinister hand but closest to the Dexter hand.
>i have odd reasons

>>24443608
One is the loneliest number.

>>24443621
>>24443635
>>24443661
>>24443694
>crap.
>c'mon tiebreaker
>or grab all the cards, tell'em we hate games?
>bad idea, ignore that.

Rolled 2

Fuck it, rolling for a tie breaker.

I'll count that roll as the tiebreaker unless a sudden (unlikely) flood of votes comes in.

>>24443764
>>24443740
2 it is, I can dig it.

>>24443781
Childhood rhymey-games prevail again.

>Inb4 loli witch

>>24443608
You reach out for the second card. And take it from Branson.

"The Queen of Spades," you think out loud. You return the card to Branson, who seems a little dumbfounded.

"Well I guess that one had to get picked sooner or later. Okay then, son, let's go pick her up." Branson gets out of his chair and leads you down to the elevator.

This elevator goes to nine floors in total. The main floor, and then four above ground and four below it. You've been to all of them and never seen any witches outside the detention bloc, though.

Branson takes out a key and puts it into the fire emergency slot, then turns it counter clockwise three times. The elevator drops suddenly and your gut rises into your throat.

There is a sound of metal on metal as the elevator descends, though Branson pays it no mind. After a solid minute of travel, you finally reach your destination. The doors open up to a drab grey room. It looks more like a small apartment than the floor of an anti-witch agency.

"She's just over here. Now remember, she's had treatment. Don't flip out on her."

>>24443906
>Well I guess that one had to get picked sooner or later.

Hah, nothing could possibly be worrying about that! hah.. oh bugger.

>she's had treatment. Don't flip out on her.

Let me guess, we have a history.

>>24443906

Hope you don't mind If I join you gentlemen.

>>24443906
There's nothing in here but the bare necessities. No pictures, no decorations of any kind, and everything is the same color of drab, depressing grey. You're not sure if you could consider yourself an interior designer, but even your room has more personality than this.

Branson instructs you to sit down on the couch. It's still stiff, as if brand new, but the layer of dust on it tells you that it has been here a while. Branson disappears down the hallway and you can hear a muffled conversation going on a few moments later. You're only left to sit on your thumb for a few minutes before Branson returns with a stranger in tow. Seeing as it is a woman, you can only assume this is the witch.

Even if she wasn't standing next to the giant Branson, she would be small. She is wearing the standard business suit that all Silencer agents are forced to wear. A black muffler is wrapped around her neck and slightly obscures the bottom of her face and pinches off her equally dark hair. Branson marches her up to you, and she eyes you carefully.

"This is going to be your new partner. She's the Hunting Witch, codenamed Artemis."

You begin to introduce yourself, but she cuts you off.

"You're John T. Colt. Age 25. Former police officer. Recruited by Silence after taking down a witch after responding to a domestic dispute. Number of witches captured alive: 4. Number of witches killed: 2. Current duration of employment with Silence: six months, three days." Her voice is flat, and without inflection. During her entire speech, she did not break eye contact once.

You cough, feeling uncomfortable.

"Well," Branson speaks up, "It seems she's read your dossier. Before we get started on making this official, do you have any questions?"

You nod and ask...

>What is your experience?
>Not all of that was on my record, how do you know that?
>What's with your name?

>>24444138
>What is your experience?

She knew it because of MAGIC and her name is Artemis because she's a Hunting Witch, those two seem pretty simple.

>>24444138
Impressive.
>What is your experience?

>>24444138
>What is your experience?

Other information supplemental, unnecessary, and will be acquired with time.

>>24444138
What's your experience?

"What is your experience? I want to know I'm going to be working with someone who knows what they're doing."

You stand up and offer your hand. Artemis doesn't react, continuing to stare at you.

"My time with Silence: twenty years, eleven months, seventeen days. Witches captured alive: fourteen. Witches killed: four. Other incidents responded to: ten. Other incidents successfully resolved: seven."

You blink. Did she say twenty years?

Branson steps in. "Artemis here was brought in very, very young. She's never been properly Choked before now, though."

>>24444296

" Define 'Properly Choked'."

>>24444296
I thought Artemis was lame until " she's never been successfully choked" GOOD DETAIL OP

>>24444296
You slowly nod. You resign yourself to being the green partner tell Branson you're ready for whatever's next. He looks at you quizzically before slapping himself on the head.

"Aw shit, we never told you what Choking really is. See we can put a lid on their powers just fine, but they're only going to be chugging along at half strength."

"I'm aware of that being part of the process, is there anything you haven't told me?"

"Well, yeah. The thing is, we can't expect a crippled witch to contribute much, so we need to pull the cork out occasionally. That's what we're putting you in charge of."

You object, saying you're not sure if you can do that, but Branson just yanks up your arm and brings it level with Artemis' throat.

"You got the gift, son. I can feel it."

Artemis lowers her muffler and you can see a thin band wrapped around her neck. Blue light pulses from intricate carvings in it. It reacts to your hand's proximity, glowing ever brighter as Branson brings your hand closer. You can swear you feel something between your fingers, but you're not touching anything. You give an experimental wiggle of your digits and you hear the clinking of metal.

"That's it, boy. Now just take hold of it."

You're not really in a position to say no here, so you grab at that faint feeling between your empty fingers. There is a sound of thunder and a bright flash as you are momentarily blinded...

>>24444497
You blink, clearing the haze from your eyes. Around your hand you can see the hazy and indistinct outline of a chain. You give it an experimental tug and find a bit of resistance. Idly, you pull at it again while looking up. Artemis is pulling back against the chain in your hands. You take a closer look to see that the chain goes from your hand and wraps around her neck, overlapping the metal band.

Surprised, you drop the chain, which vanishes into thin air.

"Well shit, son, you did it. Good job! Now we can finally stop locking her in the basement."

This is a lot going on, so you need to ask some questions.

>What is this chain?
>What are my new responsibilities?
>(to Artemis) Did that hurt?

>>24444608
Did that hurt?

>>24444608
>>(to Artemis) Did that hurt?

>>24444608
>(to Artemis) Did that hurt?

Information of use, right there.

>>24444497
FUCK OP I LOVE YOU PLEASE WRITE A BOOK

>>24444652

Don't fellate him, man, its awkward.

>>24444663
NO I LOVE HIM/Her <3
ok ok sorry I'll stop dick riding,
Just never been able to get into these until now

>>24444663
NO I LOVE HIM/Her <3
ok ok sorry I'll stop dick riding,
Just never been able to get into these

>>24444701

As a questrunner, I can tell you that praise is nice, but its best to save it for the end of the thread so you don't look like either a troll or a sycophant.

Yes, I agree, OP is doing a good job. I saw him describe this on a Quest general yesterday and I am glad he went through with it.

Now, let's leave him to his writing.

>>24444608
"Did that hurt? I didn't know that would happen."

Artemis readjusts her muffler, hiding her neck once more. She turns her attention back to you.

"Yes. The Choker is designed to cause increasing levels of discomfort, depending on the Silencer's urgency. Use it at your discretion."

That's not exactly what you were getting at, but you suppose that's all you'll be getting from her. Branson checks his watch. "Well, it's getting close to the end of your shift, isn't it Colt? I'll let you go back to your quarters early today. It's been a tough day for you."

You nod, still unsure what to make of all this and get into the elevator. Artemis follows you. You think to speak up, but as Branson is not objecting, you guess that this must be protocol and you ride the elevator back up to the main floor and begin to punch out for the day.

>>24443608
Since we got our partner, what were the other partners if we chose any other of the cards?

>>24444771
It's not until you reach your car that you notice Artemis is still following you. You shrug it off and decide she must be going the same direction and you get in your car. Artemis places her hand on your passenger car door, which unlocks itself at her touch, and lets herself in.

That's strange, you think, and you try a little experiment. You immediately get out of the driver's side seat and clamber into the back seat. Artemis follows suit, though with much less grace. You leave the car. Artemis follows. You throw yourself on the ground. Artemis follows.

Finally guessing at what's going on, you confront Artemis and..

>Tell her to go back to her room
>Tell her to quit copying you
>Ask why she is doing this

>>24444890
>Ask why she is doing this

Calm, professional, to the point.

>>24444890
Ask why she's doing this.

>>24444884
They'll appear as other characters later so I can't tell you too much. They were the Flame Witch, the Death Witch, and the Green Witch

>>24444884
I'm also rather curious.

>>24444890
Well, I think it's rather obvious that we're pretty much attached at the hip right now.
But, whatever
>Ask why she is doing this

>>24444890
>>Ask why she is doing this

>>24444890
"Why are you doing this? Don't you have better things to do?"

Artemis pauses for a second.

"I am on patrol right now, as is standard procedure. If you wish, I can remain on standby. If you require my assistance at any point while I am on standby, please activate the Choker; I will respond as quickly as possible."

Well, that makes sense, though you're not sure you're okay with choking someone just to get their attention.

You...

>Tell her to standby at HQ
>Allow her to continue "patrol".

>>24444993
Allow her to continue "patrol".
Also, tell her to relax a bit.

>>24444993
>Allow her to continue "patrol"
No reason not to let her continue. I'd like to see what she can do anyway

>>24444993
>Allow her to continue "patrol".

Wasn't doing anything tonight anyway. Tell her to be less tense, we're stuck together anyway, no need for excessive formality.

>>24444993
>>Allow her to continue "patrol".

There really isn't a downside I can think of for having our personal murderwitch hang out with us. Aside from hurting our social life, hah, social life, that's funny.

>>24444993
You tell her that she can continue patrol and you get back into the car. After a couple of miles of awkward silence, you turn to Artemis.

"You know, you can relax. Just because I'm you're superior doesn't mean we can't have a normal conversation."

Artemis flicks her eyes over to you.

"Then may I suggest you keep your eyes on the road, please. Silence considers you to be a great asset."

This is everything you envisioned when you signed up half a year ago. Yep.

"So, you've been with Silence for a long time? I bet you have some interesting stories."

"No."

INTERMISSION!

GRAB SOME SNACKS, I KNOW I AM

While I'm at this, here, have a little factoid

[M1991A2 NIGHTLIGHT]: An automatic pistol that has become standard issue for Silence. An update of a much older design, this pistol shoots a large caliber bullet and is prized among sharpshooters for its accuracy and ease of use. The A2 model used by Silence is capable of firing the Etherlite rounds which are essential to the live capture of a Witch. It's nickname, "Nightlight" comes from the tendency for the barrel to glow from the excess heat that Etherlite rounds can produce in an extended firefight.

>>24445232
THERE SHOULD BE AN EYECATCH HERE

Another little fact while I type the next post

[Etherlite Rounds] Representing a marriage of mystical and rational sciences, the Etherlite Rounds become a bolt of magical energy after being fired. Against normal humans, they are as lethal as any bullet, but a witch's inherent protection makes them non-lethal, if no less painful. The secrets to Etherlite production is currently a state-held secret.

>>24445164
You wonder if not having her wait in the car was a good idea. You're sitting at the local family restaurant sipping on some iced tea with one too many Sweet n' Lows dissolved into it. Across the table, Artemis alternating between the five different soft drinks she ordered, seemingly unable to settle on one she likes for more than a few gulps. Her behavior is getting stares from the tables around you and the wait staff, but the service has been good so far, at least.

The waitress comes over and asks you what you'll have for dinner. Of course, you'll be having your steak and eggs after a long day of hard work, but Artemis pauses after reading the menu.

"I do not wish to repeat my mistake of ordering at random," she motions to her drinks," therefore, do you have a recommendation?"

She's already eaten up your budget, so you...
>Order the child's plate. That will show her
>Steak and eggs, like yourself
>A salad? You think that would probably be the cheapest.
>Loaded hashbrowns.

>>24445700
The same as us.

>>24445700
>Steak and eggs, like yourself

That's work fuel, practical food for practical people.

>>24445700
Steak n eggs or hashbrowns
Potatoes and steak too delicious

>>24445700
>>Loaded hashbrowns.

Everybody loves hashbrowns.

>>24445700
Hashbrowns ! Bitch needs some starch

>>24445700
>Steak and eggs, like yourself
Treat her with respect and dignity. Too many people abuse their "monster on a leash" only to get killed by that monster when it inevitably gets free.

>>24445810

This man knows what's what.

>>24445810
I agree, but I still voted for hashbrowns, because hashbrowns are fucking delicious.

>>24445700
You order another plate of steak and eggs for the witch, who hands over her menu without a word on the subject.

After a few minutes, she begins pouring her half emptied glasses into each other, and seems to be satisfied with the new flavor. You remember doing such a thing as a child before you discovered the wonders of iced tea.

While you wait you wonder if you should try to get more information, or just leave the witch in peace until the meal arrives.

>Ask about any witches she's caught lately
>Ask if she knows any other Chokers
>Ask about her favorite food
>Shut your trap.

>>24445914

> Observe

Keep an eye on her. You can tell a lot about a person by how they eat.

>>24445914
>>Ask about her favorite food

>>24445914
Food. FOOOOOD

>>24445914
Ask her about her favorite food

>>24446000
>>24446051
Somehow I doubt she has one.

>>24445914
>shut your trap

>>24446120

Seriously, we should shut up and watch. We need to learn more, and I dont think she's going to tell us.

>>24446131
>>24446142
This, let's not ask stupid questions

>>24445914
You'd like to know what she might be interested in eating, but given that she couldn't decide on a drink, you're pretty sure her palette is as exciting as her personality. You decide to observe your new partner and try to put together the little things and see if you can't make a more coherent whole.

Artemis, for her part, isn't making this easy. She continues to take generous gulps from her drink, without taking her eyes off you either. A thought crosses your mind that she might be evaluating you as well. You're not entirely comfortable at the thought of being blatantly appraised, but you shake it off and continue to watch her.

Eventually, she turns her attention to her silverware, and picks each one up, carefully inspecting her knife, spoon, and fork from every angle. She rubs her fingers over them, then busies herself with arranging and rearranging them according to some rules of etiqutte you're entirely unfamiliar with.

Eventually, your food arrives and the waitress places the plates in front of you both, as well as a generous refill of your drinks. Artemis looks vaguely cross at having to remix her drinks, but this small gesture is still the first expression you've seen on her all day.

She returns her attention to the plate.

"High in calories and saturated fats. Copious amounts of salt as well. Do you desire an early grave, John T. Colt?"

"Did my choice of profession not clue you in?"

From what I can figure out, there are different 'species' of witches, with beast-type being one of them. Perhaps Artemis is an analysis-type witch?

File: 1366854967276.gif-(4 KB, 64x64, controlmagic.gif)

4 KB GIF

I SMELL MAGIC IN THE AIR

>>24446383
Apparently, she's a Hunter Witch.
So, tracking and analysis would make sense.

>>24446386

Well, no shit, she's a witch.

>>24446383
With OCD as her psychosis?

Wait, I have to ask...

Are the existence of witches public knowledge in this setting or are they kept secret?

>>24446320
Despite her complaints, Artemis reaches for her knife and fork. She tries to cut the steak, but this restaurant is notorious for their tough meat. Even you struggle with cutting through the rough beef. Eventually, it looks like Artemis gives up, setting her knife down.

She glares at the plate, and there is suddenly the sound of furious scratching and her meat flops around on the plate. You glance at it, and her steak is cut into twenty three...no, twenty four cubes of meat.

Artemis takes her fork and spears a piece of meat before eating it. As usual, you can't tell whether she likes it or not, but she rolls it around and chews it for a while before swallowing.

Against your better judgement, you feel compelled to tell her

>It's better with steak sauce
>You're supposed to dip the meat in the egg
>Was that your magic just now?

>>24446505
It's better with the sauce.

>>24446505
oops, been leaving off mah trip

That'll teach me to browse other threads while running a quest.

>>24446456
They're public like serial killers are public. Most people will never meet one and hope it stays that way.

>>24446505

>It's better with steak sauce

Calm. Professional. Snarky.

>>24446320
>>24446505
Looks like your forgot your trip.

Assuming you're OP, though...

>It's better with steak sauce

>>24446559
>It's better with steak sauce
Cheap diner steaks are the only time this is OK, though.

>>24446505
You slide a bottle over, "Here, try it with this instead. It's much better, trust me."

Artemis takes the bottle, then reads the ingrediants. She gives you a blank stare before opening it up and dumping the majority of the bottle all over the meat and eggs. She makes a few futile attempts to corral the sauce into its own portion on the plate, but it goes nowhere. She takes a deep breath and begins to eat anyway.

After a few bites, she nods.

"Yes. Better."

You return to your meal, thinking about the obvious display of power before. You've never heard of a witch able to cut things by looking at them. So far, the only Witches who cut things tend to also become some kind of horrible monster with sharp teeth and claws. But then again, you've never heard of a Witch classified as "Hunting" either.

You finish quickly, but Artemis is not even halfway through by then, constantly pausing to wipe her face with a new napkin after every three bites. Even when her face is not dirty.

>>24446708
oh god why did we get miss OCD...

>>24446708
So, let me guess, you were found as a younger child, before a dangerous psychosis could develop which is why your psychosis either is being OCD or perhaps you were taken away from an extremely proper family with probably decent amount of wealth and your manners happen to be from said family customs. Which is it? I'm for a combination of the two.

>>24446790
Could be worse, she could be the bad kind of crazy.

Besides, bigger the drawback, stronger the magic. Them's the rules.

>>24446708

She has manners. This is good. As a proper southerner, I could hardly stand to be associated with riff raff.

>>24446813
>>24446831
combination of these two?

>>24446708
After about an hour, Artemis finally finishes her meal, which had surely grown cold by that point. Your waitress tentatively approaches the table with your ticket. She leans in, "Now I know you work for that department up the road, and I ain't gonna ask too many questions about what kinda company you hold but...Next time, you leave the freak at home, alright?"

You nod. Guess this was a bad idea after all. You take out half the amount needed for the bill and inform Artemis of her share. She blinks for a few seconds before speaking up.

"I am not authorized to use funds. Please, let your superiors know and you will be reimbursed."

With a sigh, you pull the rest of your money out of your wallet and hand it over. The waitress goes to the register to finish the transaction.

"What did the help talk to you about?"

Seeing no reason to conceal it, you tell her that Artemis' use of magic has spooked the waitress and that you can't take her back here anymore.

"I understand." Artemis sets her fork and napkin down and leaves the table. She marches over to the waitress and motions to grab her attention. You see Artemis' eyes glow red, and the waitress, who has been on edge this whole time, suddenly relaxes.

You know what this is: Suggestion. A power common to many witches that lets them selectively edit the memories of people. Powerful witches can even give commands.

Certainly, if you let Artemis go through with this, you could bring her back here again. But isn't this the kind of abuse of power you've been hired to stop?

>Stop Artemis
>Let her

>>24446958
>Let her

>>24446958
>Let her

Let's not make a scene.

Let's have a very serious talk with her once outside about why she should never, ever do that again.

>>24446958
>stop artemis
Meats shit anyways, no need.

>>24446958
Let her
The kind of abuse of power we were hired to stop is of the malicious kind. Witches that you hunt down to stop do malicious things, witches in general, that aren't doing horrible or bad things, are just people with weird powers and probably the least of them at least have a slight twitch, at least.

>>24446958
>Let her

But be sure to remind not to do that without our permission next time.

>>24446958
You feel the chain in your hand the moment you consider stopping Artemis, but you let it go. After a moment, Artemis returns to the table and the waitress goes about her other duties.

"I have altered her memory of these events. She now believes that she saw nothing out of the ordinary at our table and that she was treated well for her service. She will fill in the smaller details by herself over the next forty-eight hours."

You get up and lead her outside.

"Artemis," you begin, "You're not allowed to use your Suggestion unless an emergency surfaces or I specifically authorize it. Are we clear?"

"Does being banned from an establishment constitute an emergency."

"No."

Artemis nods and gets in the car ahead of you. You get in the car and begin the drive back to HQ. Maybe you should have left her on standby...

"John T. Colt," she begins, "You are not scheduled to report for duty for another eighteen hours. Why are you returning to headquarters?"

"I'm taking you home," you state plainly.

"Then I am to remain on standby until your next duty shift? Or shall I continue to patrol at your residence?"

You just don't have any more quips tonight. You take a deep breath and

>Tell her to remain on standby at HQ
>Tell her to patrol at your residence
>Save your game first*
*this is obviously a joke

>>24447243

>Tell her to patrol at your residence

We need to get used to having her around, pussing out the first time she does something we don't like serves no purpose.

>>24447243
>>Tell her to patrol at your residence

We better get used to having a witch woman as part of our life.

>Save your game first*
You don't joke about save points man.

>>24447243
>Tell her to remain on standby at HQ
"Don't you need to sleep?"

>>24447450
Meanwhile, in a parallel universe...
"Shiiiit, my memory card broke!"
"What? Can't you just stop the game and do it after you buy a new one?"
"No, fuck that, man! I waited 40 hours in line to get this, I'm going to play it right fucking now!"
"For this foreign crap? Dude, get help."
"Screw you, Artemis is mai waifu."

we now return you to actually relevant events.

>>24447558
This relationship must be strictly professional.
No waifus allowed.

>>24447594

No need to make a statement about it either way, just now, we barely know the girl.

>>24447243
You give up. You just give up today.

"Yes, patrol my residence. Get some sleep while you're at it, okay?"
"I understand."

You drive back to your shabby, small apartment. Who would have thought that you'd actually be paid WORSE after quitting your job as a police officer back home in West?

You stumble out of your suit and head in for an early bed, telling Artemis she's welcome to the couch and fridge if she needs anything.

Hours pass, and you're suddenly awoken by a chill running down your spine. You turn to look down the hall and you only see a pair of red orbs staring back at you.

"Good evening, John T. Colt. Please, rest assured that the residence is safe."

You blink and and wait for her to turn around, but she never does. Staring, unblinking at you. It feels like it goes on forever. You try to roll over and sleep, but you never feel the eyes leave you and you simply cannot muster the courage or energy to get up again. It is a long, long night for you indeed.

TO BE CONTINUED

Or something. That's all I got at the moment.

>>24447673
Any idea when you'll be back?

>>24447700
I dunno if I can do this every day, but maybe two, three times a week starting at the same time? I'll try to do it on the weekdays as long as my actual schedule permits.

>>24447724

Archive it, then, and we will see you next time.

While I'm still paying attention, now'd be a good time to offer any sort of criticism, advice, and suggestions. I'll also answer questions, since it's all still very vague probably.

>>24447626
Please, could you imagine sex with her? She'd do nothing but quote statistics telling us how much we suck compared to global and national averages--however, on a local average, we're doing quite well.

>>24447790

Two things, really, as you actually write really well and your dialogue is excellent.

If you're going to be slow posting, thats fine, but write more per post. More content is always good. And never be afraid to encourage player creativity with a > other(Write in) option on occasion.

>>24447821

I didn't know I had that fetish, but I do.

>>24447790
The writing's pretty good, but without any element of chance the combat kind of feels like a Choose Your Own Adventure book.

>>24447892

That's a good point, actually, even simple rolling can add a lot to the experience.

>>24447839
I'll try to fit in more per post and allow for more player freedom. As the first thread, I wanted to be able to control my flow first while I found my feet, and I'll be a little more lax later.

>>24447892
>>24447911
I'll cook up a simple, but complete, system for next time. Note of warning, though, there will only be one roll made (by me) after the option has been selected. This is to somewhat prevent the "average farming" that you can do with /tg/ dice and a bunch of rolls.

Archived

>>24447951

Uh, I'd allow the players to roll, and just take the first one linked. People like rolling, you shouldn't take it away from them.

>>24447992
Seems a little chaotic to me, but as long as everyone can agree on the procedure, then it's fine.

>>24448008

I'll show you.

Lets say you had some options:

> Option A

> Option B

> Option C (roll 1d100)

If option C won the vote, you simply take the first post with C and a dice roll linked to your post.

Rolled 61

>>24448055

> Option C

Rolled 31

>>24448055

>>24448069

And this one would be the one taken, while the roll for >>24448080 would be ignored. Very clear, to you and the players.

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>>24447992

>>24448090
Fair enough. I'll have the details hammered out by next time.

>>24448090
I'd say take the best roll of the first 3-5 or the average, that way other players who want the option can feel like they're contributing more than votes.

Also decreased likelyhood of the dice fucking us over*

*not MUCH of a decrease mind

>>24448204
Don't worry, you won't have entirely random rolls. For instance, Colt is athletic and an expert marksman. Even his low rolls will hit good values.

>>24448097
That's really a true thing

Any other questions or comments?

>>24448055
One thing I dont like about this system.

>Option C (Rolled 12)
>"Oh shit, he rolled a 12"
>"I guess we know which one we wont be voting for, lol"
>"Yeah, lets just go with B so we dont fuck this up"

>>24448364
Roll off can occur after the option has been decided.

>>24448356

Uh, eventually have a more concrete schedule. Helps everyone out. And remember to archive your threads.

The rest will come to you, hope I've helped some.

>>24448364
A lot of quest runners solve that by getting the consensus, THEN calling for a roll.

>>24448356
Twitter account to alert when a thread's up could be a good idea

>>24448391

Its what I do, actually, and its certainly better in most scenarios. Don't know why I forgot to mention it.

>>24448394
We'll see about that. For now, you can probably expect a thread up between 17:30 and 18:30 Central Timezone. There's a big window there just because you know things always come up last second.

Oh, also, I have a spare IRC channel I'm not doing anything with at #gamebeg on Rizon. That's also a way to check in with me more easily.

What kind of witches are there?

>>24448515

There are lots of different Witches, and though they each have unique powers and methods of working their magic, there are some broad strokes. Below are the most common varieties of witches.

Orthodox Witches: This is actually a grouping of several categories. What ties them together is the classical representation of magic over elemental forces. Flame Witches, Water Witches, Green Witches, Storm Witches, and Earth Witches are all Orthodox Witches.

Beast Witches: These are witches who posses power over animal transformation and animal behavior. They are then further classified into what kinds of beasts they can become or control. Avian, Canine, Feline, and Ursine are all commonly encountered kinds of Beast Witches.

Death Witches: Possess power over death on a metaphysical and literal level. Includes traditional necromancy as well as those who can do stranger things, such as dissolve objects.

Oracle Witches: Possess power over probability, most often appearing as forms of pre or post cognition.

In addition to the above powers, many Witches share common magics, such as Suggestion or Enchantment

>>24448657

Are we limited to the Nightlight, firearm wise?

>>24448685
Yeah it would be nice to know if Etherlite is compatible with other firearms.

>>24448685
A firearm has to be specially constructed to use the Etherlite rounds, but there are others in use at Silence, such as carbines or sniper rifles. However, given that they try to avoid arousing suspicion on their approach, most stick with the Nightlight as their primary weapon.

>>24448737

Are melee weapons used? An etherlite knife or blade of some sort?

>>24448768
Melee weapons tend to be of the normal sort, since they work equally well on a witch as they do on a normal person. The R&D department is always pioneering new technologies, though. Make friends and you might be given something new (and untested!).

Right now, Colt is carrying a well maintained hunting knife for such situations. It's not high tech, but it has sentimental value.

>>24448657
So, did you intentionally leave out the category that Artimis fits under, or is she a part of one of those?

>>24449291
Colt has never heard of a Hunting Witch. In fairness and in the spirit of the game, you're just getting the info he would know or easily have access to.

>>24449316
Sure, sure.

So, did you honestly have the different witches assigned to different cards? Or did you just want to run it with her and decided to give the illusion of choice? No need to lie to me

>>24449367
They're really right here in my txt file, all written up and ready to use.

>>24449367

That's not a fair question, man. Let the man run his quest. If we question every decision made behind the scenes it will fall apart quickly.

>>24449391
Cool, cool.

You are a good man, and this is a good quest. I hope it continues for a good long time.

>>24449530
I'll see what I can do. I was actually rooting for Queen of Hearts, since I wrote her first and thought she would be lots of fun. I'll probably incorporate her back in quickly because of that.

>>24449530

Same sentiment here, I had fun, hope to see you around, OP.

>>24449565
Were they all queens or suits?


Lemme guess, Hearts is fire, Diamonds is Green, Clubs is Death.

>>24449658
Oh no you found me out

>>24449686
Sorry, I was a detective in a past life.

I even had my own jingle.

>>24449706
I'll get you for this, gumshoe.

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>>24449742
Maybe, Pal.